Improving the Sustainability of Higher and Further Education in Ireland

Ireland faces today two important challenges in its efforts to provide its population with the qualifications and skills that are demanded by the labour market and necessary to support innovation and competitiveness. The Irish Higher Education (HE) sector has been facing increasingly tight resources due to the fiscal constraints resulting from the 2008 financial crisis. To protect the future financial sustainability of the sector and ensure that the Irish HE and Further Education and Training (FET) sectors continue to generate the knowledge and skills required to drive the country’s economic, social, and cultural development. The purpose of this EU DG Reform funded project is to provide technical services to national authorities, who themselves are responsible to support the preparation and implementation of growth-enhancing administrative and structural reforms by mobilising EU funds and technical expertise.